Car tyres are underrated. We forget that they are the only part of the vehicle that makes direct contact with the road. In that sense, it is a blunder to consider (like most people do) tyres as an inconsequential part of the vehicle. Tyres are also an important part of the suspension system. They not only ensure your comfort and a good experience but your safety too. For a car to function appropriately, tyres need to respond accurately to steering commands while rolling smoothly and being durable.
It is
imperative for a tyre to cope with the forces exerted on them- when braking,
accelerating or cornering. This becomes more crucial when the road is wet,
slippery, or covered with ice and snow. Are you confused if you need to get
winter tyres for cold conditions? What are its benefits? How much do they cost
in comparison to other tyres? What is the legality of winter tyres? Are there
any alternatives to winter tyres? Let's try to answer these questions.
Function
Winter tyres
were made to offer optimum traction and grip in cold conditions. Since they are
made from a softer compound, they provide more surface area in cold conditions.
Whereas, Summer tyres tend to harden up in cold conditions and become slippery.
The braking distance of Winter tyres over Summer tyres (on snow) also varies on
a significant level.
Winter tyres have deeper grooves and narrow cuts- called sipes- build into the tread which help disperse the water/snow, and allow the rubber to move around. This improves the contact with the road. You can identify a winter tyre by the snowflake symbol on the sidewall. Also, if a tyre is marked 'M+S' (Mud + Snow) without the snowflake symbol, it is not necessarily a winter tyre.
Benefits
Winter tyres
work best at the temperature below 7 deg C. Again, they significantly
outperform summer tyres in terms of traction, cornering grip, and braking in
conditions of snow or ice. The compound that is used in manufacturing winter tyres contains silica, which the secret behind the softness of winter tyres
even at low temperatures. Other than that, the tread pattern is designed to be
self-cleaning. In other words, the movement of the tread blocks squeezes out
the snow, and hence, the tread doesn't get blocked up.
However, for all these benefits to work, the prerequisite is the temperature which should be below 7 deg C. Remember, these tyres do not guarantee the prevention of a skid, or getting stuck in the snow. Buyers should view these as winter tyres, not snow
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